1.6: Tim Duncan
Post defense wins championships. We're all going to have such stacked teams, and everyones team will be able to score. Whats going to separate our teams is the ability to defend in my opinion. I know its hard to quantify defense, but:
Tim Duncan has been All NBA Defensive Team every year of his career.
Tim Duncan has the highest defensive rating of any player of the modern era.
Tim Duncan is on pace to finish his career with the most defensive win shares of all time.
The Spurs have ranked 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in points allowed per 100 possessions during Duncan's career.
Honestly I'm barely going to even mention Duncan's offense because none of these teams should have any problem scoring whatsoever. The difference offensively between some of the top picks in this entire draft and some guys who literally go undrafted is really not all that huge. And in my opinions its miniscule compared to the difference in the top defensive players compared to some of the poor defenders who will not only get drafted but will play key minutes on our teams.
One thing though that I will mention regarding Duncan's offensive numbers(and his defensive numbers too) is that the Spurs pace factor has ranked 28th, 27th, 23rd, 23rd, 19th, 20th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 19th, and 23rd during Duncan's career which obviously means that his bulk numbers are deflated. Moreover this era is lower scoring leaguewide when compared to the 80s/early 90s. Therefore I think Duncan is a much better offensive player than his 21.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists give him credit for. And a better defensive player than his 2.4 blocks and 0.8 steals give him credit for.
Intangibles are good too. Duncan, by all accounts, is a good leader and locker room guy. I've never heard of him having any off the court trouble. Hes stayed with one team his entire career, which is obviously important when building a franchise. Hes never had a major injury despite 3 times being in the top 10 in minutes played, and in 4 seasons he didn't miss a single game.
I hate the Spurs and I hate Duncan. But theres no denying his greatness.
Two time MVP
Three time Finals MVP
4 rings